Four swimmers from Zimbabwe for the Junior Africa Championships

Cloud Fusire, Harare Office

ZIMBABWE plans to send four athletes to this year's African Junior Swimming Championships in Tunisia.

The competition will take place from 11 to 15 September in Tunis and should bring together more than 1,000 athletes.

Zimbabwe will be represented by swimming sensation Donata Katai, Tanatsirwa Chitsurura, Cory Werrett and Paul Mwipikeni.

The chairman of the Zimbabwe Swimming Control Council, Tracey Doorman, yesterday confirmed the team and announced that it would be led by Lorna Riley.

Doorman said the swimmers were receiving intensive training from their coaches at the Sharon Freeman Pool in Harare.

"We have been affected by the lack of constant electricity supply. It becomes expensive and difficult for us to heat the pool we use.

"But we are confident with the team we have assembled because everyone has done well in other competitions, including the South African Junior Nationals earlier this year.

"So we hope that they can maintain that level and improve their personal performance at the event," Doorman said.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe swimming team has no joy at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, where two of the athletes lost Sunday.

Zimbabwe is represented at the Championships by Paige Van Der Westhuizen, Liam Davis, Peter Wetzlar and Robyn Lee.

Lee participated in the 100m Butterfly Sunday where she finished 45th out of 52 swimmers with her best time of 1.07.63 seconds.

Yesterday, she also participated in the 100 backstroke and finished 51st out of 63, with a best time of 1.06.96 seconds.

Another swimmer, Davis, also failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the 100m breaststroke after finishing 68th out of 87 swimmers.

Van Der Westhuizen will participate today in the 200m freestyle.